Five Minute Friday-Opportunity

Whooo hooo!  Today is the first Friday of the new year and I am so excited to see Lisa-Jo Baker back with her 5 Minute Friday meme.  I hope you will start the new year off by joining in.  The rules are pretty simple and straight forward.  Here is all you have to do.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Opportunity…

GO

2013 has arrived and here I am facing a year filled with many opportunities.  The slate has been wiped clean and I have the opportunity to do things different.  What will I do?  Many of us had a long/short list of resolutions that we plan to try and fulfill.  PerIn the past I have planned to lose weight, exercise more, be kinder, whatever....well Hello 213 my opportunity is here.  I learned a long time ago that resolutions to me meant failure.  I actually quit making them about ten years ago.  So I can hear you asking yourself....what does she do if she does not make resolutions?  Well instead of making the traditional resolutions I actually make a list of things I want to have the opportunity to accomplish.  I mean lets face it.  I have not seen single digit dress sizes in a long time.  I would love to eat healthier and be healthier.  I am not going to set some magic number of weight I need to lose.  I am going to take better care of myself and treat myself throughout the year.  I am going to take the opportunity to have a mani/pedi often.  So what other opportunities am I planning to seek out?  I plan to be kinder this year (to quote my precious goddaughter, Jill....I want to have the opportunity to "say it nicer."  I hope I have the opportunity to spend more time with the people I love.  I want to declutter my life...in with the new year....out with the old stuff.  Look out thrift stores here I come.  I would love the opportunity to travel....(a bunch), spend time on the beach and in the mountains, enjoy my camera, I want the opportunity to read study my bible more.  I want to pray more.   I want to be a better teacher.  I want to not let opportunities to witness and show God's love pass me by.  My opportunities abound and it is all about what I do with them.  Don't let opportunities pass you by.  Don't end up the year filled with regrets over things you could/should/would have done.  Grab those opportunities and hang onto them for dear life.  It is 2013 and the world is your oyster filled with opportunities.  Get out there and enjoy them!  Happy New Year!

STOP

 

 

Five Minute Friday - Wonder

Five Minute Friday is going to take the month of December off. To catch it’s breath. To reflect. To listen more than write. To rest. We’ll start fresh in January. So for now, let’s write our fingers off in just five minutes!  It’s the final #FiveMinuteFriday of 2012; be sure and join in!

How to Join:

Want to know how Five Minute Friday got started and how to participate? All the details are here.
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!  OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Wonder…

GO:
My heart seems to fill with wonder every year about this time.  I wish I could bottle the feeling and take a good sized dose every day.  Music is my passion....and especially during the Christmas season.  I love almost every song. (I don't like Grandma Got Run Over.)One of my favorite songs at Christmas is not the traditional sounds but off a CD called "City on A Hill." The song, Child of Wonder, Child of Love, is by Sara Grove and the lyrical lines that fit th prompt word today goes something like this...."Child of wonder, close Your eyes.  Rest here in my arms tonight. Someday You will save the world. But tonight I'll hold You, right here in my arms...Child of wonder, close Your eyes..."  What an amazing moment that must have been to have experienced the wonder of the birth of the baby Jesus.  Can you imagine the wonder the shepherds must have felt when they saw the star and heard the angels singing?  Can you imagine the wisemen and their wonder when they found out about the baby?  Can you imagine Mary and Joseph....and all th other key players in this wonderful story.  Christmas is always a great time of wonder for me.  I love the wonder of what lies hidden in the beautifully decorated boxes sitting under the tree.  I love the wonder of the stories that will be shared in church each Sunday during advent.  I love the wonder of the children's Christmas pagent.  But my biggest thrill I saw last night when I checked into my hotel in Montgomery.  It had a massive, gloriously decorated tree in the Atrium....and there was a little girl....about three....squatting and looking with wonder at the ornaments, the lights, the gifts....her face was glowing from the lights of the tree....and I sat in rapture as I experienced her moment of wonder with her.  She was precious.  My hope for you all is that you will experience that great wonder just like a child throughout this Christmas season.  With love and many blessings!STOP:

So Won't You Stay....Just a Little Bit Longer...

Lisa-Jo Baker is the host of 5 Minute Fridays and for me she has been a lifesaver.  I had gotten to where I was dragging my heals coming up with things to write about that were meaningful and not just trivial (which if you know me....know that is my specialty....I am the Queen of trivia.)  The concept is....I want to be a serious writer....and finish the book I started many years ago.  I have bits and pieces of this book scattered in journals, boxes, envelopes...everywhere....and need to settle down and put it together.  That is where 5 Minute Friday came in.  I begin a few months ago and since I began I have actually began putting the book together.....I have 200 pages so far.  I am impressed with myself.  Who knows...maybe before the end of 2013 you will find me on Amazon....and not just as a book reviewer....but as someone who's book is BEING reviewed.  So, back to 5 Minute Friday...this is what you do.....

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...  BTW...it is ok to visit others too.  I usually try and hit at least ten.  Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!

Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Stay…

GO:

When I saw this word prompt I immediately started singing at my desk, "So won't you stay...hey...hey...just a little bit longer."  I am a music person and my whole world revolves around song.  It is like I live in a giant musical.  When my children where young I would make up songs about whatever we were doing....and put my lyrics to a current song.  I kept them and their friends entertained for hours.  But enough rambling for the moment, I only have five minutes to broach this subject.  Stay at the high school where I work means where someone lives.  I say, "I live in Roanoke."  The kids say, "I stay in Coosa."  Stay to me is a word of permanence.  It means you will always be there.....or not if you tell someone to stay away. In my bible readings this week I came across the word stay.  It is from  Mark 26:36-38:    "³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”...this passage saddened me this week because none of the disciples stayed awake with him.  They all went to sleep and left him to deal with his upcoming death.  I am amazed at the fact that He stayed strong in spite of everything.  He could have chosen to walk away...and look where we would be now.....but He didn't....He stayed the course and died for my sins.  That is a perfect example of staying power.  I often wonder what kind of staying power I have.  I can't tell you how many diets I have started.....and not stayed stong.  I start projects and cannot stay with them til they are completed.  I am a classic ADD adult.  I am restless at times and cannot stay still....or in the same place.  Right now at this moment....in Rock Mills, AL I have found peace and the urge to stay forever.   It surprises me sometimes that I have stayed with my career choice for over 20+ years.  Knowing my lack of stayability I am surprised that I have not moved onto something else....except that I love what I do.  I stay where I am because it makes me happy, fulfilled, needed, special....so here I stay....at my desk....listening for the sound of children coming into the building to begin another day.Welcome to my classroom....come and stay awhile....let me touch your life.....and you in turn will touch mine....whether you know it or not. 

 

STOP:

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Enjoy your family, friends, the day and think on the things you are truly thankful for.  I know I will.  I am thankful for my family, my friends, my church, my porch people, my life....and I am going to stay that way for a while.....a long while.

 

Roots

It is Friday and that means it is time for Lisa-Jo Baker's meme, "5 MInute Friday."  I love doing this.  Several months ago I felt as barren and dry as the Mojave and then found Lisa-Jo and words have been in abundance ever since.  Want to know about 5 Minute Friday?  Check out Lisa-Jo's blog by clicking here.  The basic directions are below.  It is so simple and I hope you will join in with the group.    So....how to get started. 

 

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

The Topic Today Is:   ROOTS

 

Go:

 

My familial roots run deep.  I come from a family where people are treated with respect, love is given freely and unconditionally, God is worshipped and followed, values and a man's word are very important.  In my life time I have experienced great delight digging my hands down into the soil, smelling it, and planting the roots of a plant deep so it will bring forth abundant life....and that is what my family has done....they planted each of us deeply....so we would bring forth abundant life.  We were planted in rich furtile soil with plenty of sun and nutrients to grow strong and healthy.  Whether the roots are plant or person.....they are important because they are the foundation of a man....or a plant.  I have put down roots in many places in my life....and have loved my growing season there. Sometimes I feel as if my roots are those of a gypsy....or gitano.....or migrant worker....tended for but a brief growing season and then moving on.  My roots in writing came from poetry.  I have volumes of journals with words....my heart....my roots.  Roots are so much more complex than that underground tangled part of a plant;   I find that my beginnings....those are my roots....the part that shaped and nurtured, and continues too,  the future me.  When my world feels at if it is shaken to the core and the thing that connects me, the roots, are being ripped out of the ground...I remember my core....my roots....the elders who nurtured my roots when I was younger.....and I know I will survive....and I will grow.    My roots are held firm and secure by hands joined in prayer connected to  God.  A plant root draws water from the soil,
I,draw stength from my family.....my roots.  My roots are aging....they are not gone....yet....they are still sending out new growth.....going forth and multiplying. 

STOP:

Have a great weekend. 

The Race Is On

Several weeks ago I found this wonderful blog where I could free write and get those creative juices flowing again.  I had gotten to a spot where it was an effort to actually write.  I have really enjoyed Lisa-Jo's meme.  Are you having trouble?  Want to join the Five-Minute Friday gang?

It’s easy to join in, just:

1. Check what the prompt is on her blog.
2. Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog.
3. Link over here and invite friends to join in.
4. Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url www.lisajobaker.com/2012/07/five-minute-friday-2/ }
5. Using the linky tool at the bottom of her Five Minute Friday post enter your link.
6. Your post will show up in the Five Minute Friday linky.
7. Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you!

Our most important requirement for participation: There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

Today's Prompt is RACE:

GO:

Somedays my whole day seems like I am racing and for what?  I don't know where the finish line is or even where the start line was. I just feel like I am running to get somewhere.  Where that somewhere is is a mystery to me.  I am highly competitive and finishing first....or at least in the top is a must.  For a time my whole life seemed like a race and then I got sick and realized that it was not about the race....because there wasn't really one.  It was all in my head.  I settled down and found my answer in the Good Book.  I was thumbing through Hebrews one Sunday while Frank was preaching....and Hebrews 12 came into my mind.  I turned my bible to that chapter and there it was....Hebrews 12:1 :  "So then let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up..."  Yes, there was more....but that was all I needed.  I smiled and dated the page.  MY bible is a well used one with many scriptures notated.  God speaks to me often in the middle of the service and I listen.  I realized sitting alone in my pew that it was not about running a race....like a 5K....or running a race for competition.  It was running a race for God and it was time to throw off all the extra baggage I had been carrying around (streamlining myself) and getting rid of the sin that keeps me from competing for God at my best.  I am racing to tell people about my wonderful Savior.  I am not racing to get a trophy....or a pat on the back for being the best at my job (although those are nice things to get)....nope....I am racing for heaven....and all the glories there.  It is the race of a lifetime and one I am going to finish.  I am in Knoxville this weekend and my friend Susan and I were talking about dying.  Neither of us fears this.  We have both run a good race and should we be called to the finish line anytime soon....it will be ok.....but until we are called....we both plan on continuing the race God has set before us.  RACE ON!

STOP:

5 Minute Friday Welcome

For the past several weeks I have participated in Lisa-Jo  Baker's 5 Minute Friday freewriting assignment and loving it.  I have really cleared some of the cobwebs out of my head and am getting clearer writing ideas.  I have even started carrying my pad with me again for ideas.  Want to join in?  It is really easy.  Just click here and head over to Lisa-Jo's blog to read the instructions.....then.....set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes to just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification(Please!), it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!

Today's word is:  WELCOME

 

GO:
Welcome to the world baby girl(said to my daughter when she was born), welcome home soldier(said to my nephew when we saw him in Atlanta for R and R from Afghanistan), welcome home punkin (said by Frank to me each day), you are welcome anytime(said by me to friends and family).  Welcome is one of those feel good words for me.  It reminds me of safety, warmth, love, and friendship.  I have a welcome mat at both of my doors.  I want everyone to get a warm and fuzzy feeling when they enter my house.  When I get home, after being at work all day, and pass across my Welcome mat I feel safe and at peace.  Welcomed.  Last Friday night we welcomed a sweet new baby into the world.  He is the first grandchild of this family and will be much loved I can assure you.  Frank and I were welcomed into the waiting room to be with family and friends as we waited for this blessed event.  There is a more serious welcome that I am looking forward to, and that is when I am welcomed into heaven by God.  Last night...we bowled and one of our league members came to the bowling alley only to be called home because her mother had just gone to be welcomed to heaven...it was a sad moment....but a blessed one at the same time.  She had suffered so long.  If you ever come to see me....I can assure you that you will be welcomed.  I truly believe in the words of Matthew 10:40.....it is one of my favorite verses... “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  So please come into my blog, my life, my heart...you are always welcomed.
STOP:

Joining Five Minute Friday

It is Friday....the end of my first week back at school with kids and time for Lisa-Jo's Five Minute Friday meme.  It is an easy thing to do you just:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking on the topic she gives you.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
I promise you will love reading what everyone writes about.  It is a great way to help writer's block...which is the reason I joined.  I needed some brainstorming accountability.

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Join

(These are my cousins who came from near and far to join with my dad at his 80th birthday party)

 

Go

Over the years I have joined things.  I like being a part of something...now as an adult.  When I was a teenager I was not so much a joiner.  I was a loner.  I was a member of my church choirs and that was about it.  Now, as an adult I find that joining in can be fun.  I joined facebook because my daughter told me it was something I needed to do.  I am glad I did because many of my high school classmates were also joining and it was a good way to connect with them and see what has been going on in their lives since 1972.  I joined two National Honor Societies in college because I earned the right to join them.  I loved being a part of them and wearing the gold tassles when I graduated.  I joined a teachers sorority when I was in my third year of teaching and loved that for a while.  It was a great way to get with fellow educators and discuss teaching topics.  I went from there to joining the AEA (alabama Education Association) where I became very active and have held several officers.  I joined a church because I love being part of the family of God and in God's house and I love having one I call home.  But, as much as I love joining groups there is another kind of joining I love even more.  I love joining hands with my family as we say the grace before a meal.  I love the feel of hands interlocked (joined).  I love joining my family to celebrate monumental occassions and holidays.  I love joining the faculty, community, fans at BRHS football games and yelling my boys on to victory.  Joining....gathering together of more than one.  Won't you join in with us today?  Have a wonderful weekend.

 

STOP